Inflation is generally controlled by the Central Bank and/or the government. The main policy used is monetary policy (changing interest rates). However, in theory, there are a variety of tools to control inflation including: Monetary policy – Higher interest rates reduce demand in the economy, leading to lower economic growth and lower inflation. Control of …
The best guide to US elections is the state of the economy. If the economy is doing badly with high unemployment and/or higher inflation. The party of the sitting US president tends to get punished by the voters. But, how much influence does the President have on the economy and the rate of inflation? In …
Secular stagnation is a term coined to describe a prolonged period of lower economic growth. Economists, such as Larry Summers have written on secular stagnation arguing the world has entered a period of substantially lower economic growth. He points to factors, such as ineffective monetary policy and weak demand for explaining the lower rates of …
The budget deficit is the annual amount the government has to borrow to meet the shortfall between current receipts (tax) and government spending. Net borrowing for the UK 2021/11 is £151.8bn or 14.8% of GDP [OBR – J511] National debt or public sector net debt – is the total amount the government owes – accumulated …
A budget deficit is the annual shortfall between government spending and tax revenue. The deficit is the annual amount the government need to borrow. The deficit is primarily funded by selling government bonds (gilts) to the private sector. Summary of effects of a budget deficit Rise in national debt Higher debt interest payments Increase in …
The UK has avoided any situation of hyperinflation. The highest rates of inflation were after the Napoleonic War in the early nineteenth century. During the First World war (25%) and in the 1970s where inflation rose due to a rise in oil prices and strong wage growth. After the late 1980s inflation was brought under …